Small Town Favorite Son
by denisewrites
Summary: He closed his eyes and silently wished that his old tractor had wings and the cotton row he sat on was an airstrip that led straight out of here. Based on a song by Luke Bryan. It follows the song very closely with my details involved.
1. A Glimpse

Disclaimer. Don't own HSM or the Luke Bryan song that I jacked the plot from.

He watched in utter defeat as the bus ticket burned changing quickly from paper to ashes in a matter of moments. The bright embers making him squint slightly. He should've been on that bus right now, heading to South Carolina where his future was waiting. Everything he wanted had been handed to him, captain of the football team, dating the most beautiful girl in school, and a scholarship to play for USC. And it was all unattainable now. He wondered deep down how he had let this happen. He could already see the disappointing looks he was going to receive. He was the small town hero. The favorite son. The one who was going prove that he could make something of himself. He didn't want it to be like this. No one had. But nothing, not even the evening Georgia sun could melt what had went wrong. He thought about her by the fall everyone would know, she'd be showing then and he would eventually take her as his bride. Just another shotgun wedding, but he'd be right there by her side through everything, not just because it was the right thing to do, but because he loved her. He loved her a hell out a lot more than he loved football. He cared more about her more than his he cared about his future. Truth be told, he loved her more than he loved himself. He stood slowly, looking up into the hazy Georgia sunset, exhaling loudly he climbed on the old John Deere tractor that sat adjacent to the family's ancient barn. He pulled his Baseball hat further down trying to block out the sun, before glancing out to the land that stretched for acres in front of him. He closed his eyes and silently wished that his old tractor had wings and the cotton row he sat on was an airstrip that led straight out of here, he could leave and be gone, but that would be just one more thing done wrong. He sighed once more wiping his eyes and any traces of tears that remained before cranking the tractor and trudging slowly back to the brick farmhouse on the hill above him.


	2. Dissapointment

Okay. So I know the first chapter was vague but it was just a snippet or glimpse of Troy's life and such.

So can I get a review to know if I should continue with this?

Disclaimer: Don't own HSM or the song from which the plot is used. Song in this story is Luke Bryan, if you've never heard of him and like country music. GO listen to him. Even if you don't like country he is AWESOME.

He tried to block it out. The harsh words seemed to swirl together into a one big fact. He was a disappointment he had disappointed them, and not just them, he had disappointed the whole town. He tightened his grip on the football he was holding in his hands, his knuckles turning pale from the pressure. He had told them.

_His dad had lost it, jerking up knocking his chair over._

"_How could you be so stupid? You've got your whole life ahead of you and you're throwing it all away for this? How are you going to raise a kid? Hell Troy you're still a kid. I can't even look at you."_

_He had shot up almost immediately lashing back._

"_Don't talk to me like that, I know what I'm doing, this has nothing to do with the kid or anything this is all about the fact that you want to live through me. Just because you blew out your fucking knee in high school, you want me to live out your teenage dream-"_

_He cut him off._

"_You will not speak to like that." His fist slammed down on the table making the plate's rumble, before grabbing Troy's shirt and pulling him up to his level_

"_Do you understand me son?"_

_Troy swallowed and merely nodded_

"_Yes sir." He managed to gulp out before detaching himself from his father's grip. _

_He looked quickly at his mother who was looking at her lap with a few tears spilling out of her eyes_

"_I'm just trying to do the right thing" he choked out, before fleeing to his room._

And that's where he sat now, listening to his father's harsh jabs and his mother's more rational thoughts. She was on his side. He knew she would be after the initial shock had settled in. He was her baby and she would protect him. He let a small smile grace his features for a moment, thinking of all the times she had spared him a spanking when he was growing up. He was their only child. His father's shot at achieving his dream and his mother's baby. This thought brought him back to the fact that he had 

disappointed them both. He wondered if his baby would ever disappoint him this much. That thought made him freeze up.

_His bab_y. He was going to be dad. It was still settling in. He couldn't explain the emotions that ran threw him when he thought about it. Fear. Excitement. Guilt. Nervousness. So many emotions all ran together and ultimately made him sick to him stomach.

"_This is my first love song, First time I felt the words, First time I sang along, Whenever it comes on, I just think of you and everything you do…"_

The loud ringtone of his phone pulled Troy from his thoughts. It was her. He let out a long breathe, before hitting the green button.

"Hey baby."

"Hey." Her subtle southern accent was barely notable in her raspy voice.

"I take it you told your mom."

"Yeah." Came her meek reply. "I hate this Troy. Were just the typical southern small town cliché, you knocked me up and now you have to throw away your dream to do the "right thing". What if this is isn't the right thing. What if-"

He cut her off.

"Just slow down," he could hear her take a deep breathe on the other end. "It's gonna be okay, no matter what were in this together and were going to make this work, I'm not going anywhere without you."

"What if isn't okay Troy?" she was crying now. Desperately seeking answers.

"It has to be. I love you too much to let you go, to let this go."

"I love you too." She whispered, her fears slowly fading.

"This baby is going to be one hell of a kid. You know that?"

He heard her let out a soft giggle.

"Your defiance and my stubbornness were going to have our hands full. Just wait till it's a teenager."

"Shit Brie, were screwed."


	3. I'm Not Gonna Cry

DISCLAIMER:Kay so the HSM isn't mine neither is any music I use; the song in this chapter is by Corey Smith. And he is awesome seriously. Anyhow. How about like a review or two.

Graduation. It's supposed to be the happiest day of your life. Troy Bolton was finding that pretty hard to believe at this moment. He felt like a fake. Today during the ceremony it would be announced that he was the only player in school history to receive the Life Scholarship to USC. And he had to turn it down. The business part had been easy; he had just called the school and simply withdrew from the freshman class. But this was the part he was dreading, the part where he had tell his other family and friends. This was the hard part. But he made himself one promise that morning. He was not going to cry. No matter what.

He felt his chest begin to close up as he took his place in line. He didn't know if he could do this. He wasn't a good liar, never had been. He took a few shallow breaths before adjusting his tie and following the moving line into the auditorium. The ceremony would be short, he was sure of that. He sat in his assigned chair and took a deep breath in and letting it out.

"Are you alright man?" Troy turned to his left. Jason. One of his best friends since seventh grade.

"Yeah man, I'm fine, just a little nervous." He replied nodding slowly.

"Don't worry man you're not gonna like fall or anything, this thing will fly by, besides I heard Kels put together a killer slideshow."

Troy didn't have a chance to respond. Mr. Matsui had taken his place at the platform.

"Welcome students, family, and friends to a day of celebration and completion." A low applause filled the auditorium. "Were gonna get things started off with the senior slideshow, compliments of the junior yearbook staff and senior editor Kelsi Neilson."

The lights turned low and faint guitar strum filled the space, a twangy country voice accompanied as memories began to flash across the screen.

_Sunday Shoes, Cap and Gown  
The whole town gathered around  
Waited 18 years now it's all comin' down to this.  
I scanned the crowd and it fills my soul  
My best friends all here in rows _

**Picture after picture flashed, from freshman year to summer's spent out on the lake.**

_  
No turning back, Now it's time to walk that line  
This tassel is gonna turn  
But when the moment passes by  
We'll just walk away  
Then slowly grow apart_

**Troy felt himself began to get a little emotional as he watched his entire high school career blink before him.**__

But I'm not gonna cry, no  
Not one sad or happy tear  
I've waited my whole life  
Now I'm gonna fly right outta' here  
It's a bittersweet goodbye, but I'm not gonna cry

Friday night, football games,  
First loves and first heartbreaks, 

**That was all it took. Picture after picture of Troy and Gabriella, of Troy and his teammates slid across the screen. He felt the tears coming on.**

_  
It didn't matter who won or lost,  
Only how we played,  
Memories as good as gold,  
Tearin' up those mountain roads, _

_Racin' out 53, to old Georgia Town_

**He had to let a small smile grace his face at the pictures of them four wheeling in the woods his family owned. A shot of him and Gabriella sitting on his four wheeler, completely covered in mud, but they were both smiling like idiots.**

_Sure we made a little trouble,  
But learned from every mistake,  
So there's no regrets,  
We've done the best we could  
So I'm not gonna cry, no  
Not one sad or happy tear  
I've waited my whole life  
Now I'm gonna fly right outta' here  
These have been the best years of my life  
_

_So I'm not gonna cry  
_

_It's been a lonely, winding journey  
And we've lost a few along the way  
Still we've hung in there through the tribulations _

_Now it's time to celebrate  
Its our graduation day  
So I'm not gonna cry  
Not one sad or happy tear  
I've waited my whole life  
So I'm gonna fly right outta' here  
This has been the best day of my life, so I'm not gonna cry _

**He was crying now. He watched as the last few pictures graced the screen. The last one made him hold his breath. The picture held him, Gabriella, and all their friends laughing like idiots at a school sponsored carnival.**

_It's a bittersweet goodbye, but I'm not gonna cry._

The lights came to life again and the auditorium was silent. He turned and sought her out. Her midnight waves framed her perfect face. It was tear struck and grim, but still ever so perfect. She caught his stare and gave him a tiny small. He gave her one in return before turning his attention back to Mr. Matsui.

He didn't understand it. He didn't understand it one bit. His scholarship was never mentioned. He accepted his diploma listened to the rest of the speeches and now here he stood with Gabriella several hours later looking out from his front porch at the evening sun.

"You did it didn't you?" his question was so abrupt it slightly startled her. She looked up, her face confused.

"Did what?"

"You told Matsui not to mention the scholarship?" She paused.

"No I didn't Troy, I tried but I couldn't do it, I'm sorry."

"Well then who?" He said flipping his dark hair from his eyes.

"I did." Troy turned and was met with his mother's deep stormy eyes. He hadn't seen her since graduation; his father didn't have much congratulation to say, so she had shuffled him away sending Troy a sympathetic glance. He hadn't seen him since. He stood quickly engulfing her petite frame in his arms. "Thank you mama." He breathed barely audible. She pulled away and went to Gabriella pulling 

her into a hug. She pulled away and looked at them both, a few tears spilled out of her eyes as she spoke.

"You two are going to be alright, I want ya'll to know that. No matter what, I just know it." They both let out a sigh of relief. She turned to Gabriella. "And you're gonna make one hell of mother Ella." The smile that graced Gabriella's face in that instant could've lit the entire atmosphere. "And you Troy, you're gonna be a dad to rival with." Troy and Gabriella looked at each other smiling, before pulling her into another hug.

:Gosh I'm not too sure about this chapter. I like it but I don't. I dunno. I'm my own worst critic.:


	4. Chapter One: How To Tell Your Friends

DISCLAIMER:Kay so the HSM isn't mine. Special thanks to coloradogirl42, your reviews were really sweet.

There should be a teen version of What to Expect When Expecting. Gabriella had officially decided that and if she made it out of her best friend's house unscathed, she would write it. Chapter one would be How to Tell Your Friends. She took a deep breath; she was in for one hell of an afternoon. Before she even reached the first step the heavy front door swung open.

"Oh my gosh! Your here I thought you had forgot, I've been calling your cell all morning, hurry up the pageant starts at three." Gabriella looked at the girl dumbfounded for a second before realizing she indeed forgotten about her best friends pageant, a very important one at that. Miss Teen Georgia.

"I'm sorry, I got here as quick as I could." She lied, following the girl into the house to her bedroom where dresses lay strewn about. "Where in the heck did you get all these?" she almost had to stifle a laugh, some of the dresses were rather ridiculous.

"The ghost of pageants past. I'm not sure about the one I bought. That's why I've been calling you all morning. "

Gabriella smiled. "I'm sure we can pull something together." She looked at all the gowns that surrounded the room. "Are you going to have any problem letting some of these go?"

"Why what do you have in mind?"

Three hours later Gabriella had pulled together an amazing gown. A gown that won her best friend a first runner up spot in the pageant.

"Remind me again why you aren't going into fashion merchandizing?" Sharpay asked as they walked to Gabriella's car.

"I don't know, It's just a hobby, you know that, besides I've always wanted to be-"

"A journalist. Yeah yeah I know."

Gabriella smiled but then realization hit her she still had something very important to tell her friend.

"Shar, would you mind if I just crashed at your place toninght?"

"Duh, we have to celebrate and you know what that means."

Celebration meant a whole junk food spread and a Sex and The City Marathon. They had been doing it since middle school, and why ruin a tradition. Gabriella was to worried to stomach any of the snacks, she had to tell her. Might as well be straightforward, she thought to herself.

"Umm, so you know Troy isn't going to USC."

"WHAT? Since when?" Sharpay whipped her head away from the television and looked at her best friend.

"Since he decided to stay here with me."

"He what? I don't understand."

"I'm pregnant."

In all the years that Gabriella Montez had known Sharpay Evans she had never known her to be speechless, this was an exception. After what seemed like hours, she finally spoke.

"Wow."

"Yep."

Sharpay reached over and pulled her into a tight hug.

"You must be so scared. Listen Gabs whatever you need? If you need anything at all? I'm here. You know that right?" Sharpay's blue eyes glistened slightly.

"Of course. You're my best friend." Sharpay nodded.

"So, can I be the god mother?" Gabriella burst out laughing. The fact that Sharpay was totally serious made her laugh even harder.

Troy on the other hand was definitely not laughing. In fact he was sick to his stomach. He had to tell Chad. They were supposed to meet at the old red barn at six and he was twenty minutes late and nervous as hell. He saw Chad's beat up Chevy in the nearby field and he pulled in beside him.

"What's so important dude? Is everything alright?"

"Gabriella's pregnant." He immediately covered his mouth he hadn't meant to blurt it out.

"I know."

"Huh? How?"

"Dude we've been friends forever, and I know you wouldn't turn down a scholarship unless it was something big, and I dunno, I kind of just put two and two together."

"So what do you think? Do you think I'm making a huge mistake?"

"No man, I really don't. At first I did, but when I really thought about it, I just realized that love, a family, all that stuff is a hell of lot more important than playing football."

"So how did it go?" Gabriella kept her steering wheel steady and balanced her cell phone as she drove home the next afternoon.

"He already knew."

"What? How? I haven't even had a chance to tell Tay yet."

"He just knew. I can't explain it; somehow me and him, I don't know, we just get each other."

Gabriella smiled. "I know exactly what you mean."

"So I take things went well on your end too."

"Yeah, she's already calling dibs on God mother."

Troy let out a soft chuckle. "What about Tay? When are you going to tell her?"

"I don't know, I don't want to do it over the phone, but she won't be back from Paris until next week, so I think I'll wait until then"

"Dude how did she get such a badass graduation present?"

"Her grandparents are loaded." She replied nonchalantly. "So tell me handsome, are you busy right now?"

"Maybe, maybe not. What did you have in mind?"

"Well…"

"I could get used to this." Troy remarked as Gabriella snuggled closer to him.

"Oh yeah what's that?"

"Sitting here, just me and you, watching the sunset. I could do this every night for the rest of my life."

"Mmm, me too." She lent up gently capturing his lips in a sweet simple kiss.


End file.
